On Saturday August 16, 2008, I watched the Saddleback Civil Forum with Barack Obama and John McCain, hosted by Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church.

As I listened to both men, I found both senators to be thoughtful and truly prepared. I also found both of them to have truly grown throughout the campaign. I got a sense as to why the country is split down the middle and the polls are as close as they are.

I found them to both believe in America and its promise. I also was amazed at how Pastor Warren was able to conduct the forum in such a manner. The questions posed to both senators were tough questions that struck the heart of the stark choices we face as a country.

In my view, Pastor Warren is a profound example of what is so right and beautiful about America. I have continued to wonder why civil discourse cannot be the order of the day. Pastor Warren proved that it can.

Pastor Warren began the first hour of the forum with Senator Obama. Unfortunately, I missed the first 10 minutes of the session where the pastor asked about the three wise men.

I did find Senator McCain's response interesting on both counts, but more on that later on. On the question of faith, there was no question that Obama embraced his faith with no reservations in any way, shape or form. He told the world that he understood his faith to insure that he acted justly and lovingly.

Pastor Warren asked when a fetus acquires human rights. Senator Obama told the world that he was pro-choice. His view was based on a fundamental belief that women who decide to have abortions do not come to such decisions lightly. But, he noted that alternatives should be explored so as not to have 40 million more abortions since Roe v. Wade became the law of the land.

Pastor Warren also brought up marriage. Senator Obama told the world he believed that marriage was the union between a man and a woman. He did not support a constitutional amendment.

I found Pastor Warren's question on the existence of evil simple, yet straightforward. He asked whether evil existed and how it should be dealt with. Senator Obama's response was, "We have to be soldiers to eradicate evil...and have humility in how we approach it."

Pastor Warren then went on to talk about the courts. Once again, the question was quite simple: Who would you not have nominated to the Supreme Court? The answers were not too surprising: Justice Thomas and Justice Scalia.

Senator Obama was troubled by the apparent willingness of the Supreme Court to be quite deferential to the Executive, despite the original intent of the framers whereby they wanted to insure that a system of checks and balances was maintained.

As I continued watching the forum, I was again struck by how Pastor Warren asked Senator Obama about taxes. Pastor Warren asked Senator Obama how he defined "rich." Senator Obama retorted that being rich meant selling 25 million copies. The Senator was alluding, of course, to how much Pastor Warren's book has sold throughout the world. He then became serious and laid out his view: folks making over $ 250,000 per year.

Senator Obama noted that if the people wanted good schools, good roads and a chance to go to college, some sacrifices were going to be at hand. He reminded the audience of the cost of the war in Iraq as well. Sending $10 billion a month without any accountability just did not make any sense, in his view.

There were discussions on other moral dilemmas faced by the world: orphans (some 148 million of them), religious persecution in the world and human trafficking again underscore the moral underpinning of the discussions. For instance, Pastor Warren noted that human trafficking is a 32 billion/year industry and some 27 million people are in bondage and in the sex trade. The need to have a worldwide commitment to fight it was underscored.

The final question by Pastor Warren was: Why does Senator Obama want to be President? Senator Obama said he wanted to expand opportunities and insure that the American dream was self-evident and realized by the existing generation as for future generations. As they concluded and the audience acknowledged their participation, Pastor Warren invited Senator McCain to the stage and Senators Obama and McCain embraced each other.

As I reflected upon the discussions, I noted how Senator Obama was so comfortable talking about his faith. I sensed a profound level of understanding of the predicament and the challenges before him as they approach the convention. The answers were mostly philosophical and reflective. Besides the issue of taxes and the judiciary, there was not much specifics per se that was discussed. Everyone needs to remember that these guys are human. They are not the messiah. It took a while to get here. It will take a while to get us out of this. I sensed that from Senator Obama's comments.

The second hour of the Saddleback Civil Forum featured Senator John McCain. Pastor Warren began by asking who Senator McCain considered the 3 wisest men in his view. He named General Petraus, John Lewis and Meg Whitman. I found his comments curious. What Meg Whitman did at EBay was nothing short of remarkable; she took a vision by Pierre Omidyar and made it a reality. The need for such visionaries is needed.

We do also need men with the moral compass and authority like John Lewis who struggled so that all enjoy the fruits of freedom. As for General Petraus, what he has been able to do is to be celebrated with the security gains due to the so-called surge. The analysis I have seen has clearly shown that there has been improvements. But, the gains have been fragile at best.

The mainstream U.S. media has lost all interest in reporting out of Iraq. If one visits http://www.juancole.com [1], one gets some visibility, though. Juan Cole is reporting that bombings are continuing in Karbala. So, if security is improving, then what seems to be the problem? Furthermore, there is the issue of the Kurds, the Turks and the Arabs in Kurdistan. Senator McCain's praise for General Petraus is deserved. But, the realities of the ground may shift the ground yet again.

On the question of character, I found the response to his personal failure to be straightforward. He blamed himself for the collapse of his first marriage. There were some discussions about a week ago when Hannity and Colmes devoted an hour to that idiot John Edwards as to the double standard on why Senator McCain's shortcomings should not be discussed.

Senator McCain had the guts to step up and we must take his word at it. As for America's greatest moral failure, I found his response to be a subtle repudiation of George W. Bush's motivation strategy to get America back after the tragedy of 9/11. Senator McCain's felt that Americans should have been motivated to be more involved with their communities vs. simply going out shopping. What he noted that all must, "....serve as cause greater than your self-interest...”

Senator McCain also reminded all of us that he went against the Republican Party and the President of the day on many occasions including torture, climate change and one that I thought was quite courageous: The Boeing Procurement Scandal that saw Boeing's CFO and the top Air force procurement official actually going to prison over it.

Pastor Warren and Senator McCain continued their discussions for quite some time afterwards. I will be writing on it later on. However, I found Senator McCain's comments on budget and spending a bit disingenuous. This was brought up during the discussions on taxes and the Senator's desire to make sure everyone got rich.

Senator McCain reminded us that he had a 27 year record of service in the House and Senate. The Senator said that the problem was not too many taxes, but too much spending. Senator McCain seems to forget that out of the 27 years, 20 of those years were years that either Republicans ran the White House or had control of at least one branch of the Congress.

So, Senator McCain bears as much responsibility for the fiscal disaster we are faced with. Some of his solutions he discussed about a Five Thousand Dollar refundable tax break for health insurance does not go to the heart of how to control the runaway health care cost that threatens to eat away at the fabric of our economic well being. Blaming folks is not going to cut it.

The wide ranging discussions Pastor Warren and Senator McCain had continued on. One of the questions I felt was poignant. Pastor Warren noted that leaders are not stubborn and do change their minds. He then asked Senator McCain about a decision he had made and then changed his mind. He was quick to respond: Off Shore Drilling. He went on to note that we must attack the problem of energy on all fronts now.

He reminded all of us that the United States is sending out 700 billion dollars a year to folks who are not at times that friendly and cooperative. Senator McCain's plan is dubbed the "Lexington Plan" and is available on his website. Leaders should be flexible and change their mind, while not forgetting their principles.

Senator McCain’s response to the question of Abortion was to the point and without any reservations. His view is that abortion begins at the moment of conception. He told the world that he was going to be a Pro-Life President. As for marriage, Senator McCain was also adamant that it was a union between a man and a woman. Although an avowed Federalist, Senator McCain noted that he would back a marriage amendment if the States moved to force other states to accept their marriages. Evil must be defeated and the Senator brought up Osama Bin Laden. He committed to hunting him down.

As the forum concluded, my respect for both candidates grew because of the commitment they have to the profound challenges we face. One thing is for sure: we are in for quite a ride. I only hope that the civil discourse will be the norm.